State Security Agency Concerned About Terrorists Exploiting Country’s Porous Borders, SA Unsurprised

State Security Agency Concerned About Terrorists Exploiting Country’s Porous Borders, SA Unsurprised

  • The State Security Agency (SSA) is concerned that international terrorists can easily enter the country
  • Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said they were prioritising investigations into the claims
  • South Africans mocked the agency, saying that it only realised now what everyone else already knew
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni raised concerns about the country's borders.
The State Security Agency has raised concerns about the country's borders and how easily terrorists can enter and exit the country. Image: Waldo Swiegers/ Marco Longari
Source: Getty Images

The State Security Agency (SSA) has raised concerns that international terrorists have travelled in and out of the country in the past, but citizens aren’t surprised at all.

SSA noted that the country’s border integrity remained an ongoing concern, which allowed these terrorist organisations to enter and exit as they pleased.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) previously stated that a broken fence at the border made keeping foreigners out challenging.

SSA prioritising investigations into matter

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the Minister in the Presidency for the SSA, said it was prioritising investigations to determine whether the country was being used as a logistical hub for terrorist organisations.

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The minister said that international terrorists managed to enter the country in the past by using South African travel and identity documents or by exploiting the asylum process.

Ntshavheni claims reports lack evidence

Ntshavheni added that there were media reports that suggested terrorists were using the country but that many of the claims lacked substantiated evidence.

She said that the country’s porous border did present opportunities for terror suspects to get into the country and that some of these suspects could also link up with like-minded individuals in the country to plan terrorist attacks in South Africa.

The country faced a terror threat in 2022 when the United States of America Embassy warned of an attack in Sandton.

South Africans mock Ntshavheni’s comments

While Ntshavheni raised the red flag about terrorists easily entering the country, South Africans said they were not surprised.

@Umalumewabantu said:

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“We've warned the government many times.”

@cetshwayo10 added:

“This was long ago said by some citizens and academics, but our ANC looked away.”

@EmmjayDblessed stated:

“Oh. Now they are identifying it? Nkosiyam🤦.”

@KingYenzo said:

“They should disband SSA because everyone has been aware of this except for them.”

@NanguBheybi stated:

“Could have told her this with a short SMS.”

@MthabineJustice added:

“It’s been three years or more that Ntshavheni has been saying this, and they are not changing anything.”

@NotReal357 said:

“The only thing they can identify is a KFC bucket.”

Taxi driver arrested at Beitbridge border

Security at the country’s borders has been in the news recently, as many foreign nationals have attempted to enter illegally.

In a related article, Briefly News reported that one man was arrested for attempting to smuggle foreign nationals into the country.

The Border Management Authority stated that most of the passengers were children who were transported in inhumane conditions.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Byron Pillay avatar

Byron Pillay (Current Affairs Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 11 years covering a wide variety of news as a community journalist, including politics, crime and current affairs. He also was a Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za